Condensing apparatus



Jan. 20, 1925. 1,523,456

R. SUCZEK CONDENS ING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 19, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG 5 wa /A ATTORNEY R. SUCZEK CONDENSING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 19, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nvmvmn M W BY M 3462M 1 Arron/v57 Patented Jan. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT @Ftlfi ROBERT SUCZEK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO C. H. WHEELER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF EHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- TION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CONDENS-ING- APPARATUS.

Application filed. November 19, 1919. Serial No. 339,034.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT SUozEK, a citizen of the Czechoslovak Republic, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Condensing Apparatus, of which the follow i11 is a specification.

My invention relates to condensing ap paratus comprising a condenser and ejector apparatus for maintaining therein a vacuum by withdrawing air and uncondensed vapors there-from.

My invent-ion resides in apparatus of the character hereinafter described and claimed. For an illustration of some of the various forms my invention may take, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which: 1

Fig. 1 is a cross sectional View, aartly 1n elevation, of combined condenser and air removing apparatus embodying one form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, partly in plan, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of a form of my invention in which the condenser is of the jet type. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view, partly in plan, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, 0 is the shell or body of a surface condenser wherein the cooling water is circulated through a plurality of tubes, not shown, while the condensable fluid, as steam from a turbine, engine or other source, entering at 1, passes through the interspaces between the tubes and is more or less completely condensed; the condensate passes by gravity into the hot well H, which is comprised in the condenser structure or unit, and is withdrawn in known manner through the pipe 2. Within the condenser may be provided, as well understood in the art, a shield or baflle alate 3, the space between which and shell is in free communication with the steam or air space of the condenser. The air outlet 4 communicates with the space beneath the baffle 3 and with the pipe 5, controlled by valve 6, communicating with the suction chamber 7 of an ejector E to whose nozzle structure 8 is delivered steam or other elastic condensable motive fluid which by known action is expanded by the nozzle structure 8 into jets which entrain the air in the chamber 7, thereby producing suction which removes air and uncondensed vapors from the condenser G to produce a vacuum therein. )The mixture, of motive fluid and entrained air is delivered into the diffuser 9 and discharged therefrom at higher pressure into the chamber 10 of the auxiliary or interstage condenser A. This condenser may be or" any suit-able structure and such, for example, as disclosed in my application Ser. No. 317,875, filed August 16, 1919. The chamber 10 is in the box or chest B divided by the walls or partitions 11 and 12 into three chambers, 10, 13 and 1 1, having a wall formed by the tube sheet 15 held between the. member B and one end of the shell 16 of the condenser structure. \Vithin the shell 16 are the downwardly extending plates or battles 17 and 18 and the upwardly extending plate or baffle 19, these plates or batlles dividing the interior of the shell 16 into four passes, in which are disposed four groups of tubes 20 terminating in the tube sheet- 15 and the lower tube sheet 21 held between the condenser shell 16 and the lower chest or box 13 Cooling water enters at 22, flows downwardly between the tubes 20 around the lower end of baffle 18 upwardly through the second pass over the upper edge of the baffle 19, downwardly through the third pass and around the lower edge 0'! the battle 1'? and upwardly through the fourth pass and out through the opening 23.

In the lower chest or box 13 is the dividing partition or diaphragm 2 1 preventing equalization of pressure or other conditions as between the chambers 25 and 26, with the former of which communicate the lower ends of the first and second groups of tubes-z 20 and with. the latter of which communicate the lower ends of the tubes 20 of the third and fourth groups.

With the chamber 11 communicates the pipe 27 delivering to the suction of a second stage pump of any suitable structure, here shown, however, as an ejector E of the radial flow nozzle type having the discharge port 28.

Communicating with the chambers and 26 are the pipes 29 and 30 controlled, respectively, by valves 31 and 32 and delivering into the pipe 33 which is formed into a water seal structure which first extends downwardly, and then-upwardly in the portion 33 to a height 33 above the lower ends of the pipes 29 and 30, and then communicates by the descending portion 33 with theportion 33 delivering into the float box D forming part of thestructure of the condenser unit, in the case illustrated forming part of the hot well structure H. A wall 34 is common to the hot well Hand the box D, the latter-having the removable cover 35: In the wall 34 is a port 36 with which registers the hole 37 in the stationary cylindrical valve member 38upon which is rotatable the cooperating valve member 39 having ports 40 adapted to register with ports 41 in member 38 permanently in communication with the'hole 37. To the movable valve member39 is secured the arm structure 42 carrying at its outer end the float 43 resting upon the condensate delivered into the box D through the pipe 33.

Communicating with the interior of the box D above the water level therein is the pipe 44 which at its other end communicates with the chamber 1401" suction of the second stage pump or ejector E The operation is as follows:

Steam entering the condenser C at 1 is condensed and flows as condensate into the wardly through the second group of tubes 20 into the chamber 13, thence downwardly through the third group of tubes-2O into the chamber 26, and thence upwardly through the fourth group of tubes to the chamber 14, the steam being completely or substantially completely condensed within the condenser tubes and falling as condensate into the chambers 25 and 26. The air delivered to thechamber 14 is at higher pressure than exists within the condenser C, and this pressure may be further raised-by any suitable pump Or ejector E the employment of theinterstage condenser A rehevmg the second stage pump or ejector E from compressing or raising to higher pressure steam as well as air discharged by the first stage e ector E.

The condensate collecting in the chambers 25 and-26 flowsthrough the pipes 29 and 30 into, the -pipe'33 and is delivered through the pipe 33 into the box D, where it continues to rise until such time as the float D 'islifted,

on the discharge side of the ejector E and preferably at that point on the discharge wsidethereot at the remote end of theinter sta 'e condenser structure A;

15y the Utube or equivalent" structure of the' pipe'connection between the pipes 29 and 30 and the pipe 33 condensate or water is always maintained in the lower ends of since i the pipes 29 and 30, whereby free communicationbetween chambers 25' and 26 through pipes 29 and 30 is prevented; and this is desirable to prevent equalization of pressure between chambers 25 and 26.

Referring to Figs. 4 and5, myinvention is shown embodied in condensing apparatus whereof the condenser is of the jet type. The condenser is indicated at J as comprising the annular injection water chamber 45 to which water is delivered through the inlet 46 and from which it is discharged through the annular series of nozzles *47 into direct contact with the incomingsteam or other condensable fluid entering through the port 48, formed in a member 49 having the annular skirt or flange 50, with the space surrounding-which the air connection is made with pipe 5 controlled by valve 6 and communicating with the ejector E with which "is assoc-iatedany suitable condensingm structure, as A, described inconnection with Fig. 1, and delivering, as'in the case of Fig. 1-,-to any device or region, butpreferably to a second stage-pump or ejector E The pipes 29 and 30, as in Fig; 1, connect through pipe 33, seal-ingstructureand pipe 33 with the box D whose wall 34 constitutes also part of the wall of the body of thecondenser J. The box D is closed by the cover 35, through which the pipe. 33 communicates with the interior of the box D. Within the box D is disposed float controlledvalve structure such as described in connection with Fig; 1. A pipe 44 equalizes the pressure between the space above thecondensate or water in the box D and the chamber 14 or any other suitable point beyond the discharge orifice of the first stage ejector E.

The operation is as follows:

The steam from aturbine, engine .or any other suitable source enters at 48 and comes into direct contact withthe injection water delivered upwardly and inwardly by the nozzles 47 and is condensed thereby and falls therewith into the bottom of the body J and is removed by a removal pump, not shown, whose rotary element is secured upon and driven by the shaft 52, having bearings; 58, 53, as well understood in the art.

Simultaneously the ejector E withdraws air from the condenser J, maintaining a vacuum therein. The air and motive steam from the ejector E is discharged as in Fir 1 into the chamber of the interstage condensing structure, and the motive steam is condensed and delivered as before through pipes 29 and 30 through pipes 33 and 38 into the box D, where the float rises with accumulation of condensate and opens the valve structure, whereupon the condensate is sucked into the condenser J and falls to the bottom in mixture with of water into the hot well H or bottom of condenser shell J, the float falls restricting the coacting port areas, and when the level falls sufliciently, completely closing the valve until reaccumulation of condensate, which again raises the float and opens the valve.

The float and valve structure are so disposed that the valve structure is always, even at the lowest level of condensate in box D, completely submerged, so that the vacuum within the main condenser is not broken by passage of air backwardly through pipe 44. into box D and thence through the valve structure into the main condenser.

WVhat I claim is:

1. The combination with a condenser unit comprising condensing structure and a condensate receptacle, of a steam actuated ejector removing air from said condenser, an auxiliary condenser condensing the motive steam discharged by said ejector, a box having a wall in common with the wall of said condensate receptacle, a port extending through said wall, valve structure controlling flow through said port, and a connection delivering condensed motive steam from said auxiliary condenser to said box.

2. The combination with a condenser unit comprising condensing structure and a condensate receptacle, of a steam actuated ejector removing air from said condenser, an auxiliary condenser condensing the motive steam discharged by said ejector, a box having a wall in common with the wall of said condensate receptacle, a port extending through said wall, float controlled valve structure in said box controlling fiow through said port, a connection delivering condensed motive steam from said auxiliary condenser to said box, and a pressure equalizing connection independent of said last named connection and extending between said box and the discharge of said ejector.

3. The combination with a surface condenser, of a hot well structure, a box, a wall common to said hot well and said box, a port in said wall, a valve structure controlling flow through said port, a float in said box controlling said valve structure, a steam actuated ejector for removing air from said condenser, an auxiliary condensing structure for condensing the motive steam from said ejector, and a connection for delivering the condensed motive steam to said box.

4. The combination with a condenser unit comprising condensing structure, a condensate receptacle, and a box 011 said receptacle having a ported wall in common with said receptacle, of valve structure controlling communication between said box and receptacle through the port in said wall, a float in said box controlling said valve structure, means for delivering liquid to said box, and means independent of said liquid-delivering means effecting communication between the space in said box above the liquid therein and a region whose pressure is below atmospheric pressure and above the pressure in said condenser.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aflixed my signature this 10 day of November, 1919.

ROBERT SUCZEK. 

